French Company to Commence Addis Ababa City New Sanitary Landfill Construction

The French company, VINCI Grands Projets, is set to start construction of the 13,145,020 Euros Addis Ababa city new sanitary landfill.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the project signed in December 5, 2014, by the Addis Ababa City Administration (AACA) and the French company, will take place next week on Tuesday, February 3, 2015.

“The contract was awarded to VINCI Grands Projets, after an international open bidding process undertaken in compliance with Ethiopian Procurement Scheme and best international practices, according to the press statement the compny distributed. Six bids had been received from international companies at the closing date mid-October 2014, demonstrating how Ethiopia gets more and more attractive for foreign companies,” the statement said.

This contract aims at constructing two cells for municipal waste, dedicated management systems for leachate, storm water and landfill gas, as well as administrative and operation buildings (garage, warehouse, maintenance) with all necessary utilities. These works amount for a total Euro 13 145 020,46, equivalent to ETB 337 301 225. Total duration of works is 18 months, but the first cell and all associated facilities will be commissioned in August 2015 for operation by AACA.

This New Sanitary Landfill is one of the key infrastructures of the Solid Waste Management Strategy undertaken by AACA to improve quality and cost-efficiency of municipal waste management in a booming context for the city.

Strategic and technical studies related to the SWM Strategy, the new sanitary landfill and the two transfer stations have been undertaken from January 2013 to June 2014 by a consortium between French Consulting Engineers, ARTELIA Villes & Transports and Ethiopian METAFERIA Consulting Engineers, after an international bidding process finalized early January 2013.

The same consortium is in charge of supervision of construction works to ensure consistency between studies and construction phase. These best standards consultancy services are financed under an AFD grant allocated to AACA.

The Addis Ababa City Administration has been partnering the French Agency for Development (AFD) over the last years on the technical and financial aspects for this critical project. The contract for the construction works of the New Sanitary Landfill is financed under the Euro 20 000 000 Credit Facility Agreement signed on December 19th, 2013, between H.E. Ato Sufian Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Economic Development and Christian Yoka, AFD Regional Manager. Funds were formally transferred to the Addis Ababa City Administration in August 2014.

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Strategy is comprehensive. It includes, from an institutional point of view, reform of the technical departments in charge of municipal waste management for improved service delivery to citizens. As far as infrastructures are concerned, (i) the Legetafo Urban Access Road to Sanitary Landfill, undertaken by Ethiopian MELCON PLC Contractor, is under execution since early April 2014, co-financed by AACA and French Agency for Development; (ii) the construction of two transfer stations should start in April 2015, financed by AACA on its own budget.